Shower head with dispenser



Feb. 6, 1968 J, HRONAS ETAL 3,367,580

SHOWER HEAD WITH DISPENSER Filed May 16, 1966 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. Jab MA HIM/V4.5

BY JAMES 4. AZ EXA/VDt-QJQ.

ag/v94 United States Patent 3,367,580 SHGWER HEAD WITH DISPENSER John J. Hronas and .lames A. Alexander, In, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to (Ialgon Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,288 Claims. (Cl. 239312) This invention relates to a shower head which will dispense a liquid or a soluble additive from a dispenser into the shower water stream. Specifically, it relates to a shower head having a small dispenser which is constructed so as to prevent the dispensed solid or liquid from backing up into the water line.

Water in many places is hard; that is, it contains appreciable concentrations of calcium or magnesium ions. These ions often form insoluble precipitates with soap compounds making a scum and preventing the soap from cleaning. Many homeowners use ion exchange water softeners to remove hardness from the water. Others add compounds, usually containing sodium metaphosphate, which sequester the calcium and magnesium ions and prevent their precipitation. Thus, soap suds may be formed more easily and the soap will clean and not be precipitated.

It has been thought desirable to have a shower head which will dispense a water softener for at least a few minutes; the shower head may also dispense soap. US. Patents 3,210,013 and 3,198,437 are illustrative of dispensing shower heads.

Many attempts at providing such a shower head involve placing a small pellet of softener inside the slower head where it is agitated by the water until it dissolves. How ever, in most homes the shower is on the higher floors and the use of water in other parts of the house may cause such a pressure drop that water is actually forced back into the water line from the shower head. This water of course will contain the softener as a concentrated solution and as small particles. It is for this reason that shower heads of this type do not pass most plumbing codes and therefore are not widely used.

We have invented a shower head which will dispense a liquid or a solid into the water stream but will not permit the liquid or solid to be forced back into the line. Our shower head evenly distributes the dispensed liquid or solid along the top sprays of the shower stream so that it is concentrated on the upper portions of the body and is not wasted.

Our shower head comprises a shower head body having a spray nozzle at its downstream end and an inlet at its upstream end, means for joining the shower head body to the shower water line, and an additive container having a jet water inlet at its rear and also having an outlet at its rear which outlet communicates with the atmosphere through open channels on the shower head body.

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the shower head.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof; FIGURE 3 is a side sectional view.

FIGURE 4 is an overhead sectional view at the plane indicated IV on FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a front sectional view of the same embodiment taken at the plane indicated V on FIGURE 3.

Referring first to FIGURE 2, our invention comprises an attachment section 1 including a ball 2 which fits into socket joint 3 into which the shower head body 4 is screwed. The removable dispenser lid 5, having a handle 6, rests on the body 4 being held in place by tip '7 which nests under projection 25 and a clip 8 illustrated in FIGURE 3.

In FIGURE 1, a front elevational view of the shower head shows the shower head body 4, dispenser lid 5 and shower holes 9. Handle 6 is also visible from the front.

The side sectional view of FIGURE 3 shows in detail the internal threads 10 of attachment section 1, and passage 11 through ball 2 which nests in socket section 3. Socket section 3 in turn has a threaded section 12 for receiving the complementarily threaded neck section 13 of body 4. The section reveals a recess or chamber 14 for incoming water, from which the water is free to pass into the main head chamber 15 and through orifice 16 to dissolving chamber 17. A bath preparation such as a water softener or scented bath compound placed in dissolving chamber 17 will be dissolved by water entering through orifice 16 in the form of a jet. Dissolving chamber 17 forms the internal area of dispenser lid 5, which has a floor 18, and thus the chamber 17 is enclosed on all sides but the one facing orifice l6, and, since it may be removed, is easily filled with water softener or similar compound.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, the solution of water softener or similar compound finds its way over the back edge 19 of chamber floor I8 and into grooves 20 in the top section 21 of body 4. Grooves 20 are connected by a transverse groove 22 in the rear of the head. The front ends of grooves 20 are open to the atmosphere at terminus 23, which is protected by an overhanging lip 24 on lid 5. Solution emerging from the grooves 26 thus finds its way to mix with the main shower outside of the shower holes 9.

Many variations on the above construction may also be considered to be within the scope of this invention. The essence of the invention is that the overflowing dispensing solid or liquid is not permitted to touch the point where the jet stream is emitted. It is this factor which prevents the dispensed solid or liquid from being sucked back into the water line.

Thus, it may be seen that this invention relates to a shower head which will dispense a solid or liquid. We do not intend to be limited to designs, methods, or shower heads disclosed herein for purely illustrative purposes. Our invention may be otherwise practiced and embodied within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A shower head for dispensing an additive to the shower spray comprising (a) a shower head body having a spray nozzle at its downstream end and an inlet at its upstream end, said body having a generally fiat top the inside of which forms a spray chamber with the remainder of the body and the outside of which has open-topped channels therein,

(b) means for joining the shower head 'body to the shower water line including a jet element,

(c) an additive container having a jet inlet at its upstream end and also having an outlet at the upstream end communicating with the upstream end of the open channels on the shower head body.

2. The shower head of claim 1 in which the channels terminate directly over the spray nozzle.

3. The shower head of claim 1 in which the floor of the additive container is contiguous with the top of the shower head body.

4. The shower head of claim 1 in which the means for joining the shower head body to the water line include a threaded neck and a ball and socket joint having a passage for said jet element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,245,626 11/1917 Shaffer 239315 X 1,476,090 12/1923 Lipsner et a1. 239315 X 1,532,809 4/1925 Girard 239315 X Price ct a1. 239-590.5 X Siano 239312 Wornall 239590.5 X Gallo 239317 X Brown et a1. 239-317 X M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

VAN C. WILKS, Assistant Examin r. 

1. A SHOWER HEAD FOR DISPENSING AN ADDITIVE TO THE SHOWER SPRAY COMPRISING (A) A SHOWER HEAD BODY HAVING A SPRAY NOZZLE AT ITS DOWNSTREAM END AND AN INLET AT ITS UPSTREAM END, SAID BODY HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT TOP THE INSIDE OF WHICH FORMS A SPRAY CHAMBER WITH THE REMAINDER OF CHANNELS THEREIN, (B) MEANS FOR JOINING THE SHOWER HEAD BODY TO THE SHOWER WATER LINE INCLUDING A JET ELEMENT, (C) AN ADDITIVE CONTAINER HAVING A JET INLET AT ITS UPSTREAM END AND ALSO HAVING AN OUTLET AT THE UPSTREAM END COMMUNICATING WITH THE UPSTREAM END OF THE OPEN CHANNELS ON THE SHOWER HEAD BODY. 